WND begins roll out of SIGFOX LPWA IoT network in Brazil

29 Apr 2016 02:34 PM

Roll out marks SIGFOX’s entry in Latin America and now gives it a presence on all continents; low power wide area network deployment kicks off in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo

WND has begun deploying SIGFOX’s IoT low power wide area (LPWAN) network technology throughout Brazil, starting with Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. The deployment marks the addition of the 18th country where SIGFOX has a presence and establishes SIGFOX’s footprint on all continents.

“GSMA Intelligence reports that Brazil is the world’s fourth-largest machine-to-machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) market, which makes the country another major, strategic part of SIGFOX’s goal of establishing one global, seamless IoT network for billions of objects,” said Rodolphe Baronnet-Frugès, SIGFOX executive vice-president networks & operators.

“This deployment with WND also marks SIGFOX’s launch in Latin America, with more countries soon to follow, as we expand our coverage throughout the whole region,” he said. “We are delighted to work closely with WND Brasil, subsidiary of WND and the SIGFOX network operator in the country, to deploy the network and develop the business in this major market.”

“SIGFOX’s rapid expansion in the US, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East demonstrates the universal appeal of its IoT network and ecosystem, which enable SIGFOX Network Operators to very quickly provide their customers with low-cost, energy-efficient connectivity for an extensive range of applications,” said Chris Bataillard, who founded WND in 2015. “Brazil and Latin America are huge markets for SIGFOX’s IoT solution, and we are very excited to quickly offer its services throughout the region.”

In partnership with Thought Creator, an IoT device maker and solution provider in Portugal, WND has developed a low-cost geolocation device specifically for the Latin American asset-tracking market, with a battery life of more than a year.

“We have identified already a strong demand from the insurance industry in order to reduce insurance-and-theft costs”, Bataillard explained. “Both small and inexpensive, this location device, which offers an optimal combination of WiFi and SIGFOX capabilities, has many indoor and outdoor applications for businesses and consumers. These include construction and telecom equipment, packages, vehicles and bicycles and pet-tracking.”

By starting the deployment in Rio de Janeiro, the two companies expect to have citywide network coverage by July. The geolocation device will be available to demonstrate simple but essential applications enabled by the IoT, including the tracking of people’s belongings in near real-time on their mobile phones.

Taking advantage of the simple and fast rollout of the network, which requires far lighter infrastructure than traditional wireless networks, SIGFOX expects the network to be operational in São Paulo, a city of more than 11 million people, in September 2016. The top 10 urban areas, representing one-third of Brazil’s 210 million population, will be covered by September 2017.

Brazilian businesses and consumers also will benefit from the innovative products and solutions developed around the world by SIGFOX’s large ecosystem of partners, which includes world-leading manufacturers of components and connected devices, IT developers and integrators. This will foster development of connected solutions and the creation of new businesses in Brazil, the company said.